Cloning and characterization of nitrate reductase gene in kelp Saccharina japonica (Laminariales, Phaeophyta)

BACKGROUND: Brown macroalgae dominate temperate coastal ecosystems, and their productivity is typically limited by nitrate availability. As an economically important kelp, Saccharina japonica is the most productive farmed seaweed and needs to be supplemented with sufficient nitrate throughout the cultivation process. However, molecular characterization of genes involved in nitrogen assimilation has not been conducted in brown macroalgae. RESULTS: Here, we described the identification of the nitrate reductase (NR) gene from S. japonica (SjNR). Using two different cloning methods for SjNR, i.e. rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and cDNA cloning alone, a single fragment was obtained respectively. According to results of sequence analysis between these two fragments, the tentative coding sequence in two clones, SjNR-L and SjNR-S, were suggested to represent two transcripts of the single copy SjNR, and the ATG of SjNR-S was located inside the third exon of SjNR-L. In the 5′ upstream sequence of each transcript, promoter core elements, response elements, especially multiple N response elements which occurred in microalgal NR, were all predicted. Further sequence analysis revealed that both transcripts encoded all five domains conserved in eukaryotic plant NRs. RT-qPCR results showed that the transcription level of SjNR in juvenile sporophytes could be significantly induced by nitrate and inhibited by ammonium, which was in line with plant NRs. The recombinant SjNR-L and SjNR-S were all proved to have NR activity, suggesting that the single-copy gene SjNR might be regulated on transcription level based on alternative promoters and multiple transcriptional start sites. Moreover, both NADH and NADPH were found to be able to act as electron donors for SjNR alone, which is the first confirmation that brown algal NR has a NAD(P)H-bispecific form. CONCLUSION: These results will provide a scientific basis for understanding the N demand of kelp in various stages of cultivation and evaluating the environmental remediation potential of kelp in eutrophic sea areas. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-023-04064-7.